ATLANTA — It took a while to get settled in, but Alabama eventually made itself at home inside the Georgia Dome on Saturday.

The No. 1 Crimson Tide kept its perfect season intact while picking apart No. 16 Florida (No. 15 in AP) 54-16 to earn its third straight SEC title in the 25th SEC Championship Game.

The victory gives Alabama its 26th SEC title and 31st conference championship while also marking the seventh time the Tide has won the SEC Championship Game, tying Florida for most all time.

Playing in what has become its home away from home, Alabama has now won its last eight games in the Georgia Dome and looks poised to make a return to the stadium later this month for the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl as part of the playoff semifinals.

“First of all, so very proud of our team for, first of all, having an undefeated season, but secondly, for winning the SEC championship,” Alabama coach Nick Saban said. “I think to do that three years in a row is a really significant accomplishment, especially these guys who have been challenged all year long by playoff game after playoff game, but this was the first championship game we had, and they certainly responded well in the game, and I’m very proud of them.”

Alabama will find out its playoff destiny today when the College Football Playoff pairings are announced at 11 a.m. on ESPN. Both semifinal games take place on Dec. 31.

Alabama (13-0) relied on its defense to survive a dismal start on offense, as Florida (8-4) held the Tide to minus-7 yards and no first downs in the first quarter though the Crimson Tide still led 16-9.

After the Gators scored a touchdown on the game’s opening drive, the Tide’s defense responded on Florida’s next possession. Alabama linebacker Shaun Hamilton returned an interception 40 yards to the Florida 12 to set up a field goal before Minkah Fitzpatrick returned an interception 44 yards for a touchdown on the ensuing possession to put Alabama up 10-7.

“This group, we’ve scored more non-offensive touchdowns this year, I think, than any team I’ve ever been associated with,” Saban said. “I think it speaks to the playmaker-type guys that we have, the good job the coaches do putting them in position.”

The non-offensive touchdowns would continue to pour in as Derrick Gore blocked a punt on Florida’s next possession, allowing Josh Jacobs to pluck the ball out of the air and return it 27 yards for a touchdown.

“When I saw the ball in the air, I just jumped,” Jacobs said. “The whole time I was praying, like please don’t get hit ... it seemed like I was in the air forever. Once I saw that there was nobody there, I was like whoa, I’m ready now. After that, the game felt like it came very easy to me.”

The two non-offensive touchdowns bring Alabama’s nation-leading tally to 14 on the season.

On a day where Alabama quarterback Jalen Hurts failed to move the ball consistently, his trio of running backs had his back. Bo Scarbrough led the Tide with 91 yards and two touchdowns and was followed by Damien Harris (86 yards) and Jacobs (35 yards, one touchdown). Altogether, the trio combined for 212 yards on 25 carries, an average of 8.5 yards per touch.

Hurts finished the day completing 11 of 20 passes for 138 yards and a touchdown. After completing just 1 of 3 passes for 6 yards in the first quarter, the true freshman rebounded in the second quarter. Hurts led the Tide on a seven-play, 88-yard touchdown drive capped off by a 6-yard touchdown pass to receiver Gehrig Dieter to give Alabama a commanding 23-9 lead.

Alabama limited Florida to 261 yards of offense, as the Gators totaled zero rushing yards. Leading the way on defense was linebacker Reuben Foster, who tallied a team-high 11 tackles and two sacks to earn the game’s MVP honors.